Clothesline reeling device



Feb. 28, 1950 o. c. ERICKSON 9 CLOTHESLINE REELING DEVICE Filed March 23, 1945 Y 4 93 2/ B; Lg 25 WWW 3m U Inventor Patented Feb. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,498,799 CLOTHESLINE BEELING DEVICE I Orville C. Erickson, Eau Claire, Wis.

Application March 23, 1945, Serial No. 584,317

This invention relates to a novel device for reeling clothes lines so that the same may be readily wound for convenient storage when not in use.

An important object of the invention is to provide a novel device of the above kind embodying a supporting bracket having a stationary, horizontal spindle, and a reel rotatably and removably mounted on said spindle, so that the reel, with the clothes line wound thereon, may be readily removed from the supporting bracket.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a reeling device of the above kind, a novel form of reel.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a reeling device of the above kind, simple and efficient means for removably securing the reel on the spindle of the supporting bracket.

Still another object of the invention is to provide, in a reeling device of the above kind, a novel form of clothes line guide through which a guide pulley for the clothes line may be passed for storage with the clothes line when the latter is wound on the reel.

Still another object of the invention is to provide simple and efiicient means for preventing accidental rotation of the reel relative to the supporting bracket in either direction when the desired amount of clothes line has been paid out from the reel.

The exact nature of the present invention, as

well as more specific objects and features thereof,

will become apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, showing a reeling device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view thereof partly broken away and in section.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the clothes line guide forming part of the device shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the present reeling device includes a reel 5 and a supporting bracket 6 for said reel. The reel 5 comprises a pair of similar spaced parallel members 1 in the form of rigid fiat and elongated strips or bars of metal, and a pair of spaced cross-members 8 rigidly connecting the members 1 a considerable distance inwardly of the free ends of the latter.

The cross-members 8 are in the form of elongated strips of metal which are of curved cross section so as to present convex outer surfaces for contact with the clothes line when the latter is wound onto the members 8 by rotation of the reel. Midway between their ends, the members 2 Claims. (01. 242100) 7 are provided with aligned'transverse openings,

- as at 9, which openings are adapted to receive a stationary spindle Ill forming part of the supporting bracket 6, for rotatably mounting the reel on said spindle. The cross-members 8 are arranged at opposite sides of and at equal distances from the openings at -9, and it will be seen that the clothes line wound upon the crossmembers 8 will be retained upon the latter by the projecting end portions of the members I. One of the members 1 is provided with an eccentric handle ll to facilitate manual rotation of the reel. The parts 1 and 8 may be welded or otherwise rigidly secured together.

The supporting bracket 6 includes a vertically elongated fiat mounting plate or bar I2 apertured near its ends for reception of screws 13 or the like so that the same may be rigidly and flatly secured against the surface of a suitable support M with the spindle l0 projecting forwardly therefrom. Spindle Ill is suitably welded, riveted or otherwise rigidly connected to the attaching plate I2 intermediate the ends of the latter.

The forward or free end portion of spindle I0 is formed with a circumferential annular groove l5 adapted for seating reception of a resilient latch l 6 by means of which the reel is removably retained on the spindle I I]. The latch l6 consists of a length of wire having one end anchored in the member I which carries the handle H, as at IT. This wire member is then provided with a coiled portion 1 8 which encircles the shank of a screw [9 secured to this member I, and the remaining end portion of the wire member projects across the opening 9 of said member I and terminates in a loop 20 forming a finger piece. The coil l8' tensions the free end portion of the wire latch l6 so as to cause the same to spring toward and engage in the groove l5 of spindle II]. In use, th latch l6 rotates with the reel relative to the spindle l0 and therefore additionally acts as a friction brake to resist free rotation of the reel while permitting intentional rotation thereof. In order to release the reel so that it may be removed from the spindle 10, it is simply necessary to press upon the finger piece 20 in a direction to cause the latch 16 to disengage from the groove l5. On the other hand, the latch I6 is pressed out of the way to permit placement of the reel on the spindle l0, after which said latch may be released to spring into engagement with the groove I5 and thereby secure the reel on the spindle.

In practice, the members i and t7. are preferably made of similar length. Pivoted to the lower end of the bracket plate I2 is an angular catch 2! having a forwardly projecting free lower end. This angular catch normally gravitates to a depending vertical position, as shown, wherein its disposed in contiguous relation.

forwardly projecting free lower end is below and. spaced from the lower end of the adjacent reel member I. The arrangement is such that the catch 2| may be swung laterally and upwardly to a horizontal position at either side of the reel member I for engagement with the latter and so as to prevent rotation of the reel in the desired direction, depending upon the direction in which the clothes line is wound upon the reel. The purpose is to prevent rotation of the reel and further unwinding of the clothes line therefrom after the desired amount of clothes line has been paid out from the reel. Pressure of the reel member 1 against the free end of the catch 21 will be sufiicient to maintain the latter in operative engagement with the reel-member 'I-.

In using a "reeling device of the present kind it is usual to extend theclothes line upwardly from the reel, over a guide pulley 22 detachably mounted at 23' upon the support M-directly above the reeling device, then back and forth between posts or the like; and to then connect the end of the line, as at 24, to the-final post or the like. When it is desired to wind the clothes line on the reel, the clothes line is disconnected at the point 24 and disengaged from the posts- The reel may then be rotated to wind: the clothes line thereon until the knotted end of the clothes line reaches pulle 22. The pulley 22 is then disengaged from hook- 225 and passed through-guide loop 25, said pulley remaining with-the-clothes line. In order to effectively guide the clothes line' onto the reel, I provide :the supporting bracket with the clothes line guide, as shown, said guide being. welded and/or riveted to the upper end of the bracket plate i2 and being formed froma single length of wire so as to provide the horizontal elongated loop- 25 through which the clothes line is ex tended. The loop 25 constitutes the intermediate portion of the wire member from which the guide is formed, and the end portions of this wire member are bent into rightangled form The loop 25 is elongated transversely of the end portions of the wire member and in a direction at right angles to the axis of the spindle it for the reel. Thus, the clothes line may move back and forth in the loop 25 as the reel is rotated to Wind the clothes line thereon. The loop 25 is of a length and width suificient to permit the passage of the pulley 22' therethrough so that it may be stored with the clothes line on the reel, and so that the guide will not interfere with removal of the reel with the clothes line and pulley fromthe supporting bracket. The angular end portions of the wire member from which the clothes line guide is formed are indicatedat 26 In practice, the supporting bracket is left attached to the support 14, the reel being removed therefrom after the clothes line has been wound upon said reel. When use of the clothes line is desired again, it is simply necessary to place the reel on the spindle H! so that .it will be locked on the latter by the latch 16. The pulley 22 may then be passed upwardly through the guide loop 25 with the end portion of the clothes line, whereupon the pulley 22 may be engaged with its mount 23. The clothes line-is then paid out from the reel until it has been properly strung for use, after which the catch 2! may be engaged with the adjacent reel member 1 to prevent further unwinding of the clothes line from the reel by preventing further rotation of the reel in the direction necessary to unwind the clothes line therefrom.

It will be seen that I have provided a ver simple and durable construction of clothes line reeling device that is convenient to use and economical to manufacture. From the above description, it is believed that theconstruction, operation and advantages of the invention will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art. Minor changes ma be made in details of construction illustrated and described, such as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

l. in a clothes line reeling device, a vertical supporting bracket in the form of a flat elongated plate adapted to be secured to and against a vertical surface of a support, said bracket having a stationary spindle projecting laterally therefrom intermediate its ends and provided with a free outer end portion formed with an annular peripheral groove, a clothes line reel rotatably and removabl-y journaled on said spindle, a resilient latch mounted upon the outer side of the reeland tensioned-to-move parallel with theplane of rotation of the reel and normally engage in the groove of the spindle to removably retain the reel on the latter, said resilient latch comprising an anchored-end portion,- an intermediate coil portion and a free end portion formed to provide a finger piece, said latchbeing arranged to engage in the groove of the spindle at a point between the'coil' portion and the-finger piece, and a-fixed member carried by the reel and encircled by said coil portion of the latch.

2. In a clothes line reeling device, a vertical supporting bracket in the form of a fiat elongated plate adapted to be secured to and against a-vertica'l surface of asupport, said bracket having a stationary spindle projecting laterally therefrom. intermediate its ends and provided with a tree outer end portionfor-med with an annular peripheral groove, a clothesline reel rotatably and removably journaledon said spindle, a latch mounted upon the outer sideof the reel and-tensioned to move parallel with the plane of rotation of the reel and normally engaged in the groove of the spindle to removablretain the reelon the latter, and a catch of right angular form pivotally mounted at the bottomof the supporting bracket and selective svvingable parallel with the plane of rotation of the reeli-nto a position to engage either side of the adjacent endof the reel to thereby prevent rotation of the reel in either desired direction.-

ORVILLE C. ERICKSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNTTED STATES PATENTS 

